7 Strategies For Effective Online Meetings
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many organizations have ordered their employees to work from home.
7 Strategies For Effective Online Meetings
This is likely to remain the case for some time to come. In today's times, it is very important to understand how to conduct online meetings effectively.
1. Use the right software
First decide what you want. There are many softwares that can be discussed through writing. Similarly, audio calls, video calls or screen sharing can be done with many software. Also, keep in mind how many people you want to conference with.
If you start the meeting by choosing any one without knowing it well, it may disrupt the meeting later. Because many people in the office may not have a good idea about that software. So first test many software yourself, which one is easy to use. Then give everyone a basic idea of the software before the meeting.
Some popular software:
• Zoom (zoom.us)
Zoom allows you to have meetings with many people. A maximum of 1,000 people can participate in a Zoom meeting, and 10,000 people can watch the meeting live. If you want to have a meeting with a few people, you can use Zoom for free.
• Google Meet (meet.google.com)
If you use Google, you can easily use this platform. No separate software is required to use Google Meet on PC. You can use Google Meet from any browser.
• Microsoft Teams (teams.microsoft.com)
Microsoft has a product line called 'Office 365' with various office software like Word, Excel, PowerPoint. Microsoft Teams is part of that. It is somewhat expensive to use compared to other platforms. But it has many nice features, which others don't have.
• Webex (webex.com)
Mainly made for video conferencing. Easy to use. Through this you can meet up to 100 people without any cost.
• Discord (discord.com)
Although Discord is not that popular, many people use Discord because of security concerns. Only those who are invited can join each Discord meeting via the private server. The voice and video quality of this site is also quite good.
2. Set the rules for everyone
You can set some rules for everyone to keep the atmosphere of the meeting right. For example, the phone must be kept on silent, no other work can be done during the meeting, or someone must speak in a chatbox before expressing their opinion, etc.
At the same time, ensure that everyone has the necessary devices and internet connection to participate in the meeting.
3. Write down important points before the meeting
Try to jot down important points before the meeting. If not, you will see at the end of the meeting that many things were not discussed. Also put ticks next to the issues on which you want to know the opinion of other office staff. If necessary, inform everyone before the conference about the points. By doing this, the rest will also get a chance to come prepared.
4. Keep in touch with everyone
Make sure that everyone can play an active role in the meeting. Don't make attendance mandatory for any suddenly announced meeting. In this time of lockdown, everyone is busy with family work even if they are at home. Ask others for suggestions and opinions about the meeting. Take everyone seriously.
5. So that everyone is included in the meeting
Remember, meetings are no longer held in the formal environment of the office. If you want everyone to listen carefully to what is said in the meeting, you can do the following:
• Turn on your video camera. Tell others to keep their cameras on too. If everyone sees everyone, the meeting will be focused.
• Chat with everyone before and after the meeting. This will make it easier for everyone to speak in the meeting.
• At the beginning ask everyone to give their name and corporate identity.
• Distribute small tasks like note-taking to everyone.
• Pay attention to everyone one at a time. And if someone wants to speak freely, keep an eye on it.
• Don't hold long meetings with too many topics at once. Instead, try to finish the meeting in less time. This way everyone can easily remember the topics discussed in the meeting.
6. Continue the discussion after the meeting
Make sure that whatever is discussed in the meeting is implemented. Discuss the meeting topic with others in the office even after the meeting. A summary of the discussion can be mailed to everyone so that those who could not attend the meeting are aware of the decisions taken in the meeting. Record the entire meeting if possible. After watching the video, some new ideas may come to mind.
7. caution
Make sure that what is a normal meeting for you does not become a source of anxiety for someone else.
Do you have any strategies of your own for making meetings effective?